IvanFetch.com - Icom IC-T90 Instructions

Introduction
Helpful Operating Info
Layout of the T90
Knowing What Frequency You're on with the Morse Code Synthesizer
Setting a PL Tone
Programming a Memory Location
Selecting a Memory Location
Transfering a Memory Locations's Contents to VFO
PL Tones
Set Menu Options

Introduction:

The aim of this page is to provide useful information for operators of the IC-T90 6 Meter/2 Meter/70 CM tri-band handheld ham radio who are visually impaired. Hopefully this page will assist those who would like to get a good idea of what the radio looks like and how it operates (whether they already own the radio or are looking into purchasing it). Additionally, you can listen to a demo I originally recorded for ACB Radio - here is the mp3 (about 20 Mb in size).

The manual for the t90 is pretty accessible when converted from pdf - click on the URL below to access the PDF manual, or paste the URL into the body of an email message sent to pdf2txt@adobe.com if you'd like a text version of the PDF file emailed back to you.
http://www.icomamerica.com/support/documents/manuals/ict90.pdf

Helpful Operating Info:

Here is some general information about the Icom IC-t90 which is good to know for optimal use by the visually impaired:

Menu Navigation with the Tuning Dial

When using the dial to choose a configuration option from the menu, or to set a value for a configuration option, the selection does not wrap once you've reached the lowest or highest value. For example, if you are picking a value 1 through 5 with the dial, and the dial currently resides on 5, turning the dial to the right will not start over at 1 again; the value will remain at 5.

Multifunction Buttons and Audible Feedback

The buttons on the t90's key pad perform multiple functions - just pressing a button, holding the button down for 1 second, or holding the button down for 2 seconds all do different things. Exceptions to this are the power and volume buttons. Pressing a button causes the radio to emit a short beep, holding a button down for one second results in a slightly longer beep, and holding a button down for 2 seconds typically results in two short beeps.

When entering a frequency or memory location by number using the key pad, the last digit entered will always produce a slightly longer beep. For example, entering a frequency consists of 3 digits, followed by a decimal point, and three more digits. Entering 145.340 will produce a slightly longer beep when you press the 0 button. Entering memory locations will produce a beep on the 3rd digit, as memory locations are only 3 digits long.

Layout of the T90:

Here is a description of the t90 (sides and top of the radio first):

On the left side of the radio there are two buttons vertical of each other (they almost feel like one single button). The top button (with two horizontal ridges on it) is the PTT, or transmit button; you hold this down to talk. The bottom button (with one horizontal ridge near the top of the button) is the SQL or squelch button; you can also hold this down to hear the input frequency of a repeater when operating the radio in duplex mode.
The top of the radio has an antenna connecter (at the left), a protective rubber cap which covers the auxilery microphone and headphone jacks (in the middle), and the tuning dial (at the right). Under the square rubber cap the microphone jack is on the left, and the headphone jack is on the right (although most speaker-mike combos have both plugs connected together).
The right side of the radio has a jack to plug in the power supply (for charging the radio, which takes about 15 hours). The desktop charger (additional purchase, which you place the radio in for charging) will charge the battery in about 2 hours. The charging jack on the side of the radio is covered by a rubber "stopper" which you swivel out of the way when plugging in the AC adaptor.

Here is the layout and labels of the buttons on the front panel of the radio:

At the very upper left of the radio, just below the display (where frequency and other info is shown) are two up/down buttons which are vertical of each other. These buttons are used to adjust the radio's volume but can swap function with the tuning dial by holding down the number 1 button for one second. If you swap the operation of the tuning dial and the volume up/down buttons, you will have to use the up/down buttons to make other selections you usually use the dial for (such as menu options, picking CTCSS, or PL, tones). This can be handy if you have difficulty counting dial clicks.

Below the up/down buttons are two buttons side by side (the left button is circular in shape).

The left button is the power button (hold this down for one second to turn the radio on or off. When the radio has been turned on you will hear a lower pitched beep followed by a higher pitched beep; when the radio has been turned off you will hear a higher pitched beep followed by a lower pitched beep.
The second button is the band button, which cycles between the radio's bands (2 meters, 6 meters, 70 centameters). Holding the band button down for one second will output the current frequency in morse code, if the morse code synthesizer has been turned on (se below).

The remainder of the buttons on the t90 are 3 rows, with 5 buttons per row. The first three buttons in each row are numbers (1-3, 4-6, and 7-9); number 0 is to the right of number 6, and the decimal point is to the right of number 9.

Here are the labels for each button. I'll use the appreviations exactly as they appear on the radio so it will be possible to recognize buttons as they are mentioned in the t90 manual. As each button has multiple functions, I separate each function by a comma (,):

row 1: 1,v<>d 2,tone 3, h/l mode, scan, emits touch-tone # vfo,Mhz, emits touch-tone a

Row 2: 4, dup 5, skip 6, m.n 0, rit mr s.mw, p

Row 3: 7, d. scan 8, set 9, ts ., dtmf.m, emits touch-tone * call, TV, lock

The buttons which say "emits touch-tone ..." will emit the associated DTMF touch-tone when PTT (the transmit button) is held down. If pressing the numbers while PTT is held down, you'll of course emit the DTMF numbers (0-9).

Knowing What Frequency You're on with the Morse Code Synthesizer:

The t90 has a built-in morse code synthesizer to anounce the radio's operating frequency in morse code (in 10, 15, 20, and 25 words per minute). Click here to here the morse code synthesizer (the frequency is 145.145). The easiest way to turn on the morse code synthesizer is to hold down the tv/lock button (bottom row, far right) while powering on the radio - hold down tv/lock while holding down the power button, and let go of both buttons once you hear the radio has turned on. TO hear the current frequency in morse code, hold down the band button (right next to the power button) for one second.

By default the morse code synthesizer outputs morse code at a rate of 20 words per minute - to change this we will need to go into "set mode" (you may want to skip this for now if you are just getting used to the radio). If you'd like to change the speed of the morse code synthesizer, do the following (these instructions will not work if you have already changed the status of the exp1 and exp2 options in the set menu):

Hold down the number 8 (bottom row, second button from the left) for one second to enter set mode - the radio will emit one short beep and then a slightly longer beep.
Turn the dial to the left a lot to be sure you are at the beginning of the set menu options (dial position 1).
Turn the dial to position 21 (which should be expanded set 2, or exp2), press the 8 button to select the exp2 option.
You can now turn expanded set 2 on or off - turn the dial to the right to be sure that expanded set 2 is turned on, then press the 8 button to save the change.
Now turn the dial far right (at least 20 times) to select the very last option in the set menu (ky speed). Press the 8 button to select the ky speed option.
You can now use the dial to select the speed of the morse code synthesizer (10, 15, 20, and 25 words per minute). Remember that twisting the dial far left puts you on 10 words per minute, and likewise twisting the dial to the far right puts you on 25 words per minute. Once you have selected the desired speed, press the 8 button to save your changes, then press the VFO button (top row, far right) to exit set mode completely.

Setting a PL Tone:

TO set a PL tone, the radio must be in VFO mode first (the VFO key is the first row, far right), then do the following:

Hold the set key for one second (this is the number 8, last row, second from the left).

Twist the dial far left so you know you are at the beginning of the set menu. You will have selected "R Tone" (which is what we want) - press the set button (bottom row, second from the left) to select the "R Tone" option.

Twist the dial far left so you know that you are at the beginning of the PL tone choices, then slowly turn the dial to the right, counting dial clicks, in order to set the right PL tone. See the list of PL tones below.
Once you have picked the PL tone you want, press the set key to save your changes, then press the VFO button (top row, far right) to exit set mode.
To tell the radio to use the PL tone when transmitting, press and hold the tone button down (also the number 2 button, first row, second from the left) and twist the dial far left after you hear the slightly longer beep. Now by turning the dial you can explisitly set the tone option you want. Turn the dial once to the right (second position) which will select "Dup T" (duplex with tone) and let go of the tone (number 2) button.

Programming a Memory Location:

TO program a memory location, do the following:

Press the "MR S.MW" button (second row, far right), then enter a 3 digit memory location on the key pad (000-499). This selects the memory location (even if it is empty).
Press the VFO button (first row, far right) to return to VFO mode - the display will show a frequency with either a letter a or b after it (indicating you are in VFO a or VFO b respectively). Select the frequency you would like to enter in to the memory channel (selected in the previous step) using the key pad or tuning dial. IF desired, set other options such as PL tone or CTCSS squelch to be used with the frequency.
Hold down the "MR S.MW" button (second row, far right) for two seconds; you will hear a short beep when you first press the button, a longer beep after 1 second, and two short beeps after 2 seconds. This transfers the current frequency and options(i.e. CTCSS tone) into the last location we were at, which happens to be the memory location selected in the very first step.

Selecting a Memory Location:

Press the "MR S.MW" button (second row, far right) and enter a 3 digit memory location on the key pad (000-499). The display will read "001mr" (if 001 was the memory location you selected). The frequency and other options (i.e. subaudible tones) associated with the memory location will now be used. From here you can select other memory locations in the same manner, or return to VFO mode by pressing the "VFO/Mhz" button (top row, far right). IF you want to flip through your memory locations, use the tuning dial while in memory mode.

Transfering a Memory Locations's Contents to VFO:

Sometimes it is nice to transfer a memory location's contents (frequency, subaudible tones) to VFO mode, such as when you want to tune around near the frequency in the memory location. Transfering the contents of a memory location to VFO is assentially the opposite of programming a memory location.

select VFO mode - if you want to be sure you are in VFO mode, press the VFO button (first row, far right) twice. You will end up in either VFO a or VFO b (which doesn't really matter).

Select a memory location like you normally would (press the "MR S.MW" button, enter the memory location on the key pad).

Now hold down the "MR S.MW" button for two seconds and the contents of the memory location you chose in the previous step will be transfered to the location where we just were (which is VFO). The radio will be returned automatically to VFO mode - you can now tune the frequency with the dial.
PL Tones:

Here is a list of PL tones and their corresponding dial positions - for information on how to use PL tones, see the section on setting PL tones:

row 1:	1,v<>d	2,tone	3, h/l	mode, scan, emits touch-tone #	vfo,Mhz, emits touch-tone a
Row 2:	4, dup	5, skip	6, m.n	0, rit	mr s.mw, p
Row 3:	7, d. scan	8, set	9, ts	., dtmf.m, emits touch-tone *	call, TV, lock